PLOT SYNOPSIS
The game takes place in modern Japan with the protagonist as a male high-school student. There are three main girls the character must choose to help, though he may only choose one. Each of the girls has a problem that is seen to be common amongst high-schoolers; Bullying, Drugs, and Apathy. According to Peter Payne, founder of Jast USA, it is believed the writers were trying to explore themes relevant in Japan for high-school students.

GAMEPLAY
Yume Miru Kusuri uses the standard gameplay for visual novels. Players read the story until Kouhei must make a significant choice. They may then pick what happens next from a number of on-screen options, moving the story in the direction they choose. Depending on the player's choices, the story may focus on different characters or come to different endings.

PLOT
Kouhei Kagami is a high school student with excellent grades and a fairly normal social life. Beginning to feel empty and transparent, he meets a girl that can make him feel like he is alive once more.

Like many other visual novels, Yume Miru Kusuri has a branching plot. In this case, there are three separate story arcs, each focused on a specific heroine's relationship with Kouhei. Also like most visual novels most paths branch again in "good" and "bad" endings. Bad endings are recognizable by the lack of credit roll after the game ends, while good endings are the opposite.

CHARACTERS
ain characters

Kouhei Kagami
Kouhei is the stereotypical average Japanese high school student. He often hears the sound of a train when he is bored or otherwise unoccupied. The player experiences the game through his eyes as the main protagonist.

Aeka Shiraki (白木あえか ,Shiraki Aeka?)
Aeka has been a victim of bullying, initiated usually from Kyoka or her friends, for almost her whole enrollment at Kouhei's high school. The whole class tends to laugh at her or ignore her problems, even if not directly involved in bullying her.

Mizuki Kirimiya (桐宮弥津紀 ,Kirimiya Mitsuki?)
Mizuki is the high school student council president. To people who don't know her, she is the typical student idol, out of reach to most. To those who do know her, she can be slightly annoying, as she pushes all work onto other people. Mizuki comes from a rich family and doesn't see a future for herself, even the most basic one of living to the next day, something most people take for granted.

Cat Sidhe Nekoko (ケットシー・ねこ子 ,Kettoshii Nekoko?)
Kouhei discovers Nekoko outside of his workplace one day. She claims to be a fairy, and enlists Kouhei to help her find the home of the fairies. However, as he associates with her, Kouhei finds that this is not her real problem.

[edit] Supporting characters

Misaki Sayama (狭山みさき ,Sayama Misaki?)
Misaki is a female friend in Kouhei's class. She tries to get him not to interfere with Aeka because she doesn't want Kouhei to be picked on, though she appears to have sympathy for Aeka. Often hangs out with Takeshi.

Takeshi Iogi (井荻剛史 ,Iogi Takeshi?)
Takeshi is a male friend in Kouhei's class. He generally ignores what happens in class, but knows about the situation with Aeka. He is less sympathetic than Misaki. Often hangs out with Misaki.

Kyoka Nanjou (南条京香 ,Nanjō Kyōka?)
Female student in Kouhei's class. She has a grudge against Aeka Shiraki and is the cause of why the class picks on Aeka so much. She likes to flirt with everyone, especially Kouhei. Kouhei doesn't like her though and gives her the nickname Antoinette, after Marie Antoinette.

Aya Kagami (加々見綾 ,Kagami Aya?)
Aya is Kouhei's stepsister. Kouhei was adopted into the family and has had trouble seeing his family as people who love him. He often makes fun of Aya's flat chest at her age. There are rumors about a scenario ending with her being cut before the Japanese release.

Hirofumi Tsubaki (椿弘文 ,Tsubaki Hirofumi?)
Hirofumi is the manager of the convenience store where Kouhei works, and has a friendly relationship with Kouhei. Hirofumi is gay and always goes out of his way to act gay around Kouhei, but draws the line at any touching, usually. He is always trying to get Kouhei to play h-games, specifically those with storylines as that is what Hirofumi likes, regardless of the sexual orientation.

Gaito Yakushiji (薬師寺概人 ,Yakushiji Gaito?)
Gaito is a male student who was suspended for a long time before coming back to school. He is supposed to be Kyoka's boyfriend, but she tries to distance herself from him. He tried to cheat on her with Aeka in the past which led to Kyoka's treatment of Aeka.

I got two endings Aeka and the ending you have to figure and I won't explain so I won't spoil and make FP users rant.
And, there are no screenshots to avoid spoilers, ok.

Tsukihime chronicles the story and life of a teenage boy named Shiki Tohno. As a young boy, Shiki suffered a life-threatening injury. As a result of this injury, Shiki became able to see "death lines" on objects and people; if Shiki traces these lines with a sharp object, the person or object that they belong to will be cleanly and easily cut. Soon after discovering this power, he is given a special pair of glasses by a mysterious woman. While wearing these glasses, Shiki cannot see the lines, and can thus live life as normal. Later, Shiki discovers that he can also see a place where the lines meet known as "points" on objects and people; these act as more immediate and powerful versions of the "lines." Eventually, it is revealed that Shiki is not merely killing a person or destroying an object when he cuts its lines or stabs its points, but is instead annihilating the victim/object's existence, therefore killing the victim/object as a side effect.

The game plot begins during Shiki's second year of high school. After spending eight years away from the Tohno household, which he was banished from after his injury, he moves back home following the death of the head of the Tohno family, Shiki's father. Shiki's sister, Akiha, assumes the responsibility of being the new head, and decides to let Shiki come back. As the story progresses, Shiki gradually discovers his mysterious past, and becomes implicated into strange adventures.

"Strange adventures" is an understatement.

In the Near Side routes, he temporarily goes nuts and kills a girl named Arcueid (pictured), and promptly OWNS THE LIVING FUCK out of a vampire named Nero Chaos. He then fights the manifestation of an evil vampire in a guy who should be him, but is actually his adopted twin brother, but isn't, but THIS MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE BUT I LOVE IT ANYWAYS. The two Near Side routes, for Arcueid and Ciel, are roughly the same except Ciel's route is boring and has Ciel taking it in the ass in the sex scene, along with the vampire spirit jumping into Shiki and Shiki stabbing himself. He then goes into a coma dream sequence that is completely, and utterly, incomprehensible.

The Far Side routes are totally batshit and involve his sister and his maids all being secretly crazy, or awesome, or both, or neither. Arcueid doesn't exist and Ciel is relegated to a minor role.

visual novel = term for people who refuse to believe that its just a comic

Yes, but "comic" can mean a lot of things, including things that stretch beyond its usual connotation.

If you're going to talk about choice of words then here's my opinion.

The problem I have with the term "comic" has pretty much the same problem I have with term "video game", it's a term that has become far too loaded with things that don't fit with it's generally accepted connotative meaning. As a result you get a word that's often very ineffective at describing much of anything.

By using the term "visual novel" your usually convey the idea that it's a "comic" that has been put into electronic form and made to be viewed/played on a computer. In this case the term "visual novel" is much more efficient than the word "comic" because it's more specific and much more descriptive.

I'm sorry, I rage when people use semantics to trivialize things, it's something I strongly dislike.

Yes, but "comic" can mean a lot of things, including things that stretch beyond its usual connotation.

If you're going to talk about choice of words then here's my opinion.

The problem I have with the term "comic" has pretty much the same problem I have with term "video game", it's a term that has become far too loaded with things that don't fit with it's generally accepted connotative meaning. As a result you get a word that's often very ineffective at describing much of anything.

By using the term "visual novel" your usually convey the idea that it's a "comic" that has been put into electronic form and made to be viewed/played on a computer. In case the term "visual novel" is much more efficient than the word "comic" because it's more specific and much more descriptive.

I'm sorry, I rage when people use semantics to trivialize things, it's something I strongly dislike.

I'm sorry, I misread the thread. I saw the thread title and assumed that it was ani-shit that was made into a game. but apparently it is only a game. in which case I would not call it a visual novel at all, but rather a cinematic experience. I have never heard the term visual novel used to describe a game, but I have heard it used when describing manga. but I would not describe a game as a comic. ever.

Yes, but "comic" can mean a lot of things, including things that stretch beyond its usual connotation.

If you're going to talk about choice of words then here's my opinion.

The problem I have with the term "comic" has pretty much the same problem I have with term "video game", it's a term that has become far too loaded with things that don't fit with it's generally accepted connotative meaning. As a result you get a word that's often very ineffective at describing much of anything.

By using the term "visual novel" your usually convey the idea that it's a "comic" that has been put into electronic form and made to be viewed/played on a computer. In case the term "visual novel" is much more efficient than the word "comic" because it's more specific and much more descriptive.

I'm sorry, I rage when people use semantics to trivialize things, it's something I strongly dislike.

I was going to make a post like this but decided against it.

Something to point out however, and this is surely only prevalent outside of Japan and among internet users, when you say "visual novel", people's first thought it "hentai". As of 2007, Japan is the only place that makes these too, so assuming it, whilst inaccurate, isn't terribly wrong. I mean, how many times have you NOT seen the term "visual novel" associated with Japanese smut?